May 26, 2015

A Bespoke Wooden Shoe Box by Nike That's More Interesting than the Custom Marcus Mariota Kicks it Contains

Marcus Mariota is the first football player from the 808 area code (Honolulu) to win the Heisman Trophy - as a junior at University of Oregon in 2014. And 2015, he was made the Offensive MVP of the 2015 Rose Bowl game. Basically, he's one happening Samoan brother with an award-studded career so far. Plus glitzy endorsement deals, like the one he recently announced with Nike.

To celebrate the NFL Draft Day, the sneaker giant created a special shoe - fancy (of course), a sneaker (duh) and not for sale (oh well).

But the pair of laser-etched Lunar Force 1 kicks weren't actually what caught my eye. What did? The container they came in.

Created by Gallagher Designs of Portland (kudos to Nike for buying locally), the snazzy box is crafted from Koa wood, which is a tree native to the Hawaiian islands. The laser-etching includes a prominent "808" - not only as a shout-out to his hometown, but the number 8 which he’s worn throughout his career plus being 80th winner of the Heisman.

The fact that this gorgeous wooden box was an integral part of this project seemed to me like a throwback to the days when we had our fashions custom made, our closets were much smaller and we wore everything in them. And when stuff did arrive in a container, unlike the disposable, landfill-filling packaging of today, it was well-made and reusable.

A return to that kind of mentality - even for a celeb-powered one-off press piece - represents eco-chic, sustainable thinking in the right direction IMO.

- Lesley Scott

NOTE: Honoring our natural resources and showcasing artisanal crafts is a signature of the Folkspun fashion tribe. For more of my posts about this tribe, CLICK HERE. To learn more about each of fashion's four mega-tribes that I track, START HERE.

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A Bespoke Wooden Shoe Box by Nike That's More Interesting than the Custom Marcus Mariota Kicks it Contains

Marcus Mariota is the first football player from the 808 area code (Honolulu) to win the Heisman Trophy - as a junior at University of Oregon in 2014. And 2015, he was made the Offensive MVP of the 2015 Rose Bowl game. Basically, he's one happening Samoan brother with an award-studded career so far. Plus glitzy endorsement deals, like the one he recently announced with Nike.

To celebrate the NFL Draft Day, the sneaker giant created a special shoe - fancy (of course), a sneaker (duh) and not for sale (oh well).

But the pair of laser-etched Lunar Force 1 kicks weren't actually what caught my eye. What did? The container they came in.

Created by Gallagher Designs of Portland (kudos to Nike for buying locally), the snazzy box is crafted from Koa wood, which is a tree native to the Hawaiian islands. The laser-etching includes a prominent "808" - not only as a shout-out to his hometown, but the number 8 which he’s worn throughout his career plus being 80th winner of the Heisman.

The fact that this gorgeous wooden box was an integral part of this project seemed to me like a throwback to the days when we had our fashions custom made, our closets were much smaller and we wore everything in them. And when stuff did arrive in a container, unlike the disposable, landfill-filling packaging of today, it was well-made and reusable.

A return to that kind of mentality - even for a celeb-powered one-off press piece - represents eco-chic, sustainable thinking in the right direction IMO.

- Lesley Scott

NOTE: Honoring our natural resources and showcasing artisanal crafts is a signature of the Folkspun fashion tribe. For more of my posts about this tribe, CLICK HERE. To learn more about each of fashion's four mega-tribes that I track, START HERE.